The Middlebury baseball team trailed 4-2 entering Thursday's seventh inning, but the Panthers scored four times and held off a late Keene State rally to earn a 6-5 victory.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Owls struck with their initial run in the top of the first inning. Evan Cali drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a Middlebury miscue before coming in to score on a groundout off the bat of Lucas Rogers.
• The hosts answered with a run of their own in the bottom half. Henry Ayers roped the first pitch he saw down the left-field line for a double. Walks by JD Collins and Sam Gersch pushed Ayers to third, who scored on a sacrifice fly by Pablo Spielman-Rodriguez to knot the contest at 1-1.
• Keene State responded a frame later when Otis Follet lifted a solo home run that narrowly cleared the wall in right center for a 2-1 lead.
• The Owls manufactured a pair in the fourth. Cali plated the third run when he legged out a knubber in front of the plate with the bases loaded, and Evan McCue followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.
• Middlebury cut the deficit to a pair (4-2) in its next at-bat. Spielman-Rodriguez laced a one-out double down the line in left and quickly stole third. He scurried home on an RBI groundout to second from Andrew Baay.
• The contest remained that way until the seventh, when the Panthers exploded with four runs on six hits and took advantage of an Owl error. Gersch kickstarted the rally with a base knock to center before racing around to score on a triple by Spielman-Rodriguez that one-hopped the wall in left center. Baay evened the game at 4-4 on a single up the middle and later came across on a throwing miscue. Gus Parker singled to left to plate Carter Chi for a 6-4 edge.
• Keene State made it a 6-5 contest when Derek Finlay bounced a run-scoring single up the middle to drive in Rogers, who reached on a base hit. Dylan Knightly came out of the Middlebury bullpen and induced a flyout with two runners on to secure the save and the one-run victory.

NOTES

• Ayers was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate in the leadoff spot. His five base hits in a contest are tied for second in the program's single-game history. Ayers has collected a hit in each of his last nine plate appearances.
• Spielman-Rodriguez tied his career high with three hits on a single, double and triple. He scored twice and drove in a pair.
• Gersch went 1-for-2 with a run scored and walked three times.
• Stefano Yozzo logged a career-best 3.2 innings pitched, allowing just a run on three hits and struck out a trio of Owls.
• Knightly posted his first save of the spring and the third in his career.
• The programs played for the third time, with Middlebury taking a 2-1 edge.

The Panthers continue their homestand on Sunday when they entertain Vermont State University Castleton at 1:00 p.m.